Hopgood's Foodliner

Hopgood's Foodliner
325 Roncesvalles Avenue
Toronto, Ontario

416-533-2723

In her opinion:
I had always wanted to go to the Hoof Cafe for brunch and had even made plans to celebrate a birthday there but unfortunately, they closed before I had that privilege. So when I discovered on Twitter that Chef Geoff Hopgood was having a Hoof Cafesque brunch at his dinner only restaurant, Hopgood's Foodliner, on Sunday August 12, 2012 (one day only)...I was all over it.

We drove to Toronto hoping that we wouldn't get stuck in traffic because brunch started at 11:00 am and they were not taking reservations.  We somehow managed to get into Roncesvalles Village, Toronto in about 50 minutes and were lined up with about 20 people in front of us. We got in and were seated at a premium table for four in the front section of the restaurant. The attentive servers brought water, filled our glasses and left a carafe on the table. They also took our drink orders right away. I decided on "the bellini" to help celebrate this much anticipated brunch. It was described on the menu as Pares Balta Cava and Ontario White Peach Puree. It was very good. Not super sweet as is expected with most peach drinks.

We decided that a Hopgood brunch wouldn't be complete without the famous "Bone Marrow Doughnuts". These little gems were filled with a fruit jam and coated in cinnamon sugar.

Okay, all the hype wasn't for nothing! These little pieces of heaven were absolutely delicious. I have never had anything like them before in my life. I would call them my food "crack"!

For my main, I choose "Corned Beef Hash" This Southern favourite is one of those decadent breakfast/brunch staples that I don't order too often. However, because of the nature of this brunch, I decided to pick this.

This was a totally guilt free version of the classic. It consisted of roasted potatoes and corned beef with two firm poached eggs with micro greens on top. The sauces consisted of a "mustard mayonnaise" and "spicy sauce". They added an incredible amount of flavour to the dish. It was brunch perfection.

Overall, this was an excellent brunch. While some found service too brisk, we found our service kind of slow...but the bottom line was that it was worth the wait. So glad Chef Hopgood decided to put this brunch together and for the record...you still have it Chef. Hope you do it again very soon.

In his opinion:
To say I was a little looking forward to this brunch would be an understatement. I actually was looking forward to it a lot as I drove down to High Park, hoping that the crowds were not too crazy and I could actually get a table in decent time. The brunch promised to be "Hoofish Cafe" in its nature and that was all I needed to hear.

It worked out that approximately 30 minutes before opening there were only around 20 people lined up, just enough for us to get a nice table in the front part of the restaurant. Behind us were another 30 or so people, as we walked in.

The restaurant is very nicely done, minimal decor but with a mix of casual and sophisticated all while maintaining an inviting look. There is a large bar to the left as you walk in, perfect for evening drinks and additional seating in the back to accommodate the large crowds that this place attracts.

Staff was very courteous and well informed and helped contribute to the experience, something that is not standard these days as it seems. They took our drink orders and gave us some time to go over the menu. The regular menu was written on a blackboard beside our table and was also very inviting.

The adventure starts there, I browsed their brunch menu and simply wanted to try everything on it but I knew very well that the belly or wallet would not accommodate that. Instead we opted to start with the "Bone Marrow Doughnuts" and I'm so glad we did. The doughnut balls are served in packs of 6 and they were extremely good. For those that are cringing right now at the thought of bone marrow in a doughnut, I assure you that these were some of the best doughnuts I have ever tried, and even though the flavour is surely there, the marrow does not overpower the doughnuts at all. I could have those doughnuts any day of the week.

Up next was the "piece de resistance", a dish that I was so looking forward to having, that every minute that went by made me more anxious, and hungry of course. I chose the "Foie Gras and Crepes" and I wasn't disappointed with the choice. The perfectly seared generous piece of foie gras sat on on a delicious crepes with maple syrup, apricots and toasted hazelnuts. The hazelnuts were a perfect texture clash to the softness of the crepe and the tender foie. I was savouring every morcel of this dish and wished it didn't have to come to an end. 

I never have to have my arm bent for foie gras but it is amazing when good pairings are complementing it, because it is so easy to ruin such a great "star" in the dish by siding it with lesser stars. This was not the case here as the dish worked perfectly together.

This restaurant lived up to its expectations, but more importantly the legendary brunch was extremely good. I also got a chance to meet a fellow foodie and blogger Yvonne T @th3hungrycat that was also there enjoying this "special day" brunch.

The Good:Great tasting food in a great environment makes this place a crowd favourite.
The Bad: Our food took quite a bit to arrive but servers kept us informed and this was a huge morning for the restaurant, so some slack must be given.
The Verdict: The Hoof Cafe legendary brunch lives on...in the incarnation of Chef Hopgood's Foodliner. The demand speaks for itself and the food and service matched and surpassed the expectations.

I give it 3 1/2 Olives out of 5 as a rating  

Mill Street Brewpub

Mill Street Brewpub
21 Tank House Lane
Toronto, Ontario

416-681-0338

Photo property of BlogTo

In her opinion:
What do you do when you've done nothing but eat all day? Well, you eat some more, of course! We had a bit of a food crawl before our dinner cruise on Lake Ontario this past Saturday!(We knew that the cruise food was going to suck or we wanted to make sure that lunch wouldn't). 

Mill Street Brewpub was our last stop on our little foodie adventure. We were only going in for a pint or two. But when you are having one of Mill Street delicious beers, you need a little something something.

We ordered the Brewmaster's Mussels and our friends ordered the Calamari for the table to share. The mussels are steamed in Mill St. Belgian Wit Biere with fennel, leaks and chorizo sausage. They are served with grilled focaccia bread. The mussels were excellent. Full of great flavour. So good.

The calamari was deep fried and served with chipotle ailoi and marinara sauce. This calamari was exceptional. Perfectly fried and well flavoured. The chipotle ailoi was just the perfect dip!

These two little snacks combined with my Mill Street Organic Lager was a perfect combo!  I love this place and we normally stop in when we are in the Distillery District! I recommend the Brewpub to anyone who loves good beer and good food!

*****

*****

In his opinion:

Given that Mill St. Organic has become my beer of choice this summer, a visit to the brewery seems appropriate at any given time. We stop in once in a while, always for a a good pint or two...okay, sometimes three.

Like the "connected song"...the beer is connected to some....hunger.....hunger is connected to good food, good food is connected to pub grub, the...well ...you get the point. Before you know it, we were ordering some good pub food, even though we had just been to two other restaurants.

First thing first, I ordered decided to order a Lemon Tea Beer instead of my usual Organic and began to looking around for Joel Manning, Head Brewer. You know, the guy from the radio commercial, the one with the deep voice that knows a lot about beer. 

I couldn't find him but what I do see is a well decorated room, with many eclectic sitting/standing areas and a cool wall of beer caps. This place is cool, bright and inviting but when full, you can't even hear yourself think, way too loud. There are a lot of selections of beers, 14 to be exact. Organic Lager, Lemon Tea beer, Tankhouse Ale and Cobblestone Stout are some of the more popular ones.

We ordered the "Calamari" and the "Mussels" to share, after all there wasn't much room for food but we needed something to soak up the beer.
The calamari was nice and tender, the batter was just right and both dipping sauces, chipotle aioli and marinara sauce complemented it very well.

The Mussels were also very good, cooked in Mill St. Belgian Wit beer with chorizo sausage, fennel and leeks.  The sauce was very good, perfect for some bread dipping.

Drop by Mill Street Pub any of time for a great brew, great atmosphere and tasty food to go along with it. Try their beer samplers as well. They are a great way to explore their vast array of beer flavour. Cheers!

Pepperwood Bistro

Pepperwood Bistro
1455 Lakeshore Road
Burlington, Ontario

905-333-6999

In her opinion:
The Pepperwood Bistro reminds me of a Parisian cafe or bistro. The chairs on their patio are exactly like the ones I sat in during my trip to Paris a few years ago. They also have a very nice tree lined view of the Lake Ontario which adds to its charm! We've been coming here for years and have always enjoyed it very much. So on a gorgeous sunny Sunday in July, we took my mom for brunch/lunch at this little gem in Burlington.

We were seated right away and shown to a table for four. Our attentive waitress came to take our drink orders right away. And after going over their extensive menu we were ready to order.

My mom had the Steak Frites. She was a little concern at first that this didn't come with any salad or veggies. But I reassured her that she could have part of my salad if she shared her abundant frites with me. Her Steak Frites came with an 8-oz. Angus top sirloin with fresh cut Yukon frites, pickled lemon mayonnaise and pink peppercorn sauce "au poivre". 

She asked for the peppercorn sauce on the side and her steak Well Done. It came on the well side of Medium Well(which is a better way to enjoy steak then Well Done in my opinion)so she was a little concerned at first but ate it that way. She really enjoyed the frites. As did I with the pickled lemon mayo. So good.

For my entree, I picked the Farmer's Omelette. This was three egg omelette with chorizo sausage, sweet peppers and goat's cheese. It was served with a bistro salad.

I rather enjoyed this omelette. I thought the chorizo was excellent. I loved the goat's cheese and how it added the right amount of pungency to the dish. 

Overall, a very good brunch in a great spot. I would definitely recommend the Pepperwood Bistro to anyone and will definitely return in the near future.

In his opinion:
Great atmosphere is one of the reasons we keep coming back to this place. It's perfect location by the lake, the Parisian like chairs and proximity of tables, the great craft beer and lastly the very good food are the other reasons.

We have been to the Pepperwood Bistro many times but oddly we have never had a meal inside. After all, it's the allure of the patio that makes us return whether it;s a beautiful summer sunny day or a crisp fall afternoon.

This experience falls into the beautiful summer day category and the patio was packed as usual. We had no reservation but lucked out when a couple of tables were just leaving as we arrived. We were promptly seated, given the brunch and drink menus and had our drink orders taken. 

This being a great craft beer place I opted for Mill St. Organic but unfortunately after what seemed to be an eternity, the waitress comes back to tell me they have run out of Organic. I ordered another craft beer and to my surprise she shows up with what she said was Mill St. Organic  that she found in the back. It wasn't but at this point I just wanted a beer so I drank it.

Thankfully, that was the only small glitch in this experience. I ordered the Croque Monsieur Sandwich. It is one of my favorite sandwiches and I reckon I don't have it enough times. It was some very tasty shaved smoked ham on crispy baked ciabatta bread, with creamy Mornay and emmenthal gratinee and frites and kosher pickle. It was beautifully presented and tasted accordingly.
There is something so familial about this sandwich to me, reminds me of my childhood so it's an easy choice for me.

It was again a wonderful day in the sun, on a gorgeous patio sitting lakeside in Burlington. It's a definite try if you are ever in the Burlington are.

L'Auberge de France

L'Auberge de France
304 Front Street
Belleville, ON

613-966-2433

In her opinion:
We stopped at L'Auberge de France on our way to the "County" for a family weekend of food, wine and fun. My darling husband had found out about this place while doing county research. After a little more research, I discovered that this little piece of France in Ontario is only opened for breakfast on Saturday mornings were they advertise that they pull 240 croissants and pain du chocolat from the oven. So we decided to time it, so that we were passing through Belleville just as this place opened.

We were actually early...we obviously made good time. This gave us an opportunity to check out the Belleville Farmers Market not to far from L'Auberge de France.  As we arrived back at the bistro, I noticed that there was groups of people going in. As we walked in the door, an older couple commented about how we were teaching our son about good food. We've been trying...but still haven't really succeeded.

I ordered a coffee and a croissant with jam and butter.

All I can say is delicious...yes, it was delicious beyond belief. It was like I was transported back to Paris. Chef Jean-Marc Salvagno hails from Avignon, France and his croissants are so authentic! Buttery, flaky and delectable. Excellent. The jam was fresh tasting and the butter was sweet. Even the coffee was good.

Overall, a great experience. I was sad to leave this little bistro without trying more but unfortunately, we had a weekend full of eating ahead of us and I didn't want to overdue it. I did buy a baguette to go and it was so authentic tasting. Excellent!

I would love to return and try more of Chef Salvagno's cooking. I know that it would not disappoint!

In his opinion:
I know it makes me so predictable but I usually am in awe of anything French. It is my favourite type of food, it is my favourite country and I'm yet still to try a French dish that I don't like. I recall that when in Paris, I used to marvel and indulge in the amazing "Patisseries" and "Boulangeries" that seem to be in every corner of every street. Another part that struck me was that you can get a "pain au chocolat" pretty much anywhere, not just food spots...literally anywhere, even the ticket booth at the metro sold them.

So any time I come across the chance to have some French pastries, I jump at the opportunity and always like to "test" their "pain au chocolat" (chocolate bread) for measure. L'Auberge de France is a modern French bistro, gourmet grocery shop and specialty cheese store. What a combination...if they showed soccer on the weekend I could literally live there.

We found this place while researching our Prince Edward County food and wine trip and it worked perfect that we were driving by Belleville and decided to stop in 4 min after opening and it was already pretty full. That's usually a sign of a great place, filled with mostly locals and repeat customers.

Unfortunately, we had lunch reservations in the "County" and all we could do is have a preview of this place, but it ended up being a great preview. 
When I walked in, the fresh smell of bread and baked goods filled the air and set us up for the goodness to come. As we waited to order, my mouth salivated at the trays of food passing by, sandwiches, stuffed croissants, quiches, brioches and so much more. These delicacies would have to wait for another time as we only had time for a quick breakfast.

I ordered a cafe au lait and of course...a pain au chocolat. The coffee was good but the pain au chocolat was outstanding. Just the right amount of chocolate inside (a mistake that many make by putting too much), the outside was flaky, fresh and had a buttery crust. It was still warm inside, as it should be served and definitely hit the spot.

I left wanting more and wished we had more time and a larger stomach but for the quick breakfast that it was, it was great. Nice to point out that the service was great and the owner as well as his girlfriend are very nice and often mingle with the clients, especially with the regulars.

For now, I will keep my Chocolatine (pain au chocolate in South of France) dreams intact and will have to settle for something a bit closer to home, like the Petite Thuet's in Toronto. Cant wait to go and have lunch or even bistro dinner at L'Auberge de France.

Leslieville Pumps

Leslieville Pumps
929 Queen Street East
Toronto, Ontario

416-465-1313

In her opinion:
I heard about the Leslieville Pumps from BlogTO and from all the buzz on Urbanspoon! It's a very interesting concept...gas station, general store and awesome bbq kitchen. Similar to a country truck stop! Very cool! This is the brainchild of Judson and Greg Flom. Two brothers with a love of bbq that have a seriously good thing going. 

The place was packed when we went in on Saturday afternoon. Not that there is a lot of seating at this place to begin with...four tables of four. So finding a seat can be a challenge. Basically, this is a eat and move on kind of place...don't plan on lingering! 

You can tell that these brothers love bbq by their menu. It combines southern bbq and Canadian classics perfectly.

We ordered a Southern Style Beef Brisket Pump Sandwich, Corn Fritters and an order of Brisket Poutine. Our friends who were accompanying us on our foodie adventure ordered the Pulled Pork Poutine.

The brisket sandwich was excellent. The Pumps BBQ sauce was so so good. Full of flavour. The crispy sweet onions and grainy mustard were the perfect toppings. The poutine was very good. It was topped with the same excellent brisket that was in the sandwich. It was a huge portion that we were unable to finish. Our friends enjoyed their poutine very much but agreed that the Brisket Poutine was better then the Pulled Pork Poutine.  

The star of the show was the Corn Fritters with a creamy Creole Sauce. These little pillows of corn goodness were so incredibly light and airy. I loved the garlicky flavour of the creole sauce. So so delicious. I loved them and honestly think I could eat them everyday for the rest of my life.

Overall, I enjoyed the Leslieville Pumps. I thought it was a very cool concept. The Flom brothers were super nice. They took the time to talk to us about their "kitchen" and you can see the love of food that these two possess. An interesting thing happened when we were having our lunch! Two of the members from The Pursuit of Happiness including lead singer Moe Berg came in to grab lunch! Now that was a flashback to the 80s and my childhood! We also learned from Judson that The Tragically Hip are also big fans of the place! This place is even more exceptional then I initially thought!

*****

Pulled Pork Poutine

Corn Fritters with Creole Sauce

Beef Brisket Poutine

Beef Brisket Pump Sandwich

*****

In his opinion:
When I was told that one of our foodie day stops was going to be at a gas station, I must admit that I was a bit taken back. I mean I'm open minded as much as anyone else about where good food comes from but "gas station"?

Then it came to me, Could this be the one I had read about in Toronto Life and had heard good things about? I'm glad it was and glad that Julie thought about it. Our friends that joined us for this adventure must have thought that we were crazy...first taking them to a Chicken and Donuts place and then to a gas station.

The rule is...trust a foodie and open your mind to "anything" and they did jumping head first into the deep end of the pool. That was good since we had no back up plan at all.

Leslieville Pumps is a revolutionary concept brought to Toronto by two brothers that believed that BBQ is the centre of the food world and that wanted Torontonians to experience something different. To most people, this would be an off the wall thing, not being able to grasp the BBQ joint/gas station and general store. Was Toronto ready for such a concept. Well, the gamble worked and Leslieville Pumps is enjoying lots of success and the buzz continues to grow.

We arrived at the gas station...I mean...restaurant...I mean convenience store, well, whichever one you want to use to describe it and all their seats were taken. We checked the menu, put in our order quickly and waited for the food and a table simultaneously. The decoration is part cottage, part western saloon with a hint of 50's diner memorabilia. It is very welcoming and looks like it could be up north in cottage country.

We ordered a few things to sample since we were a bit full from the last place of the food crawl. We ordered the Beef Brisket Pump Sandwich, the Corn Fritters with Creole sauce and the Beef Brisket Poutine.

Where do I start? First, if I lived in TO, I would make sure I would always need gas in Leslieville so I can fuel up as many  times as I can and I might even only put $5 at a time, so I can return often. This BBQ is very tasty and decadent good. The corn fritters were so light and fluffy and the batter was also so soft. The dip is delicious and compliments it very well. This is a must have in this place, even if it's just as a side.

The Brisket Poutine was also very good. There were chunks of brisket, not your usual shaved type meat you would find in most traditional BBQ places. The fries were freshly cut and were well done. Did I mention that the fries were huge? The box of poutine is surely an item to share if you are having something else, that is.

The Beef Brisket Pump Sandwich was the highlight of the day. Juicy, moist and full of flavourful brisket, topped with sweet onions and mustard. Buns were super fresh and the whole sandwich was amazing.

We had a chance to talk to both of the owners and it is very evident that their love for BBQ and people "fuels" this idea and makes it so successful. Greg comes across as the overall brain of the project, showing his passion for the concept, the neighbourhood and the ingredients that they grow themselves on the premises to utilize in the "gas station" food.

Judson is extremely down to earth, a lover of BBQ and the "machine" behind the scenes and kitchen. The more you talk food with him, the more he engages you in the passion he has for what he does. I spent some time talking to Judson about the famous clients they have, the members of Pursuit of Happiness that we just brushed shoulders with and especially the members/manager of "The Hip", Judson's favourite band.

The Good: No non-sense BBQ, in a cottage like setting with a hint of retro. The food is great, the service is friendly and perfect to grab a quick bite, even when fuelling up.
The Bad: No bad to talk about. Not everyone will embrace this concept and that's a shame. Good food can come from anywhere and a gas station is not that far fetched, especially now.
The Verdict: A must go for lovers of BBQ and especially for those in a hurry. Get them to take and get them often, because the next BBQ serving gas station may not be for 2000 KM, in Oklahoma somewhere.

I give it 3 olives out of 5 as rating



 

Paulette's Original Donuts and Chicken

Paulette's Original Donuts and Chicken
913 Queen Street East
Toronto, Ontario

647-748-1177

In her opinion:
Donuts are hot at the moment! I have even read recently that they are the new cupcakes! And when you combine them with fried chicken...that's just a winner as far as I'm concerned. That's exactly what Paulette's Original Donuts and Chicken does at its Leslieville location.

I guess this is not a combo we normally see together...it's not like fried chicken and waffles where you are actually eating the two together. Paulette's does fried chicken and donuts very well but not necessarily to be eaten together!! Although, I guess you could if you really wanted to! When I first mentioned to our friends who accompanied us on this weekend foodie adventure that we were going to a donut/fried chicken place they were a little taken aback. I actually giggled to myself when we pulled up to Paulette's and they said, "You weren't kidding when you said it was donuts and chicken"! No, I wasn't!

Paulette's doesn't have an extensive menu. We ordered the "Combo Chicken" which came with two pieces of white, two pieces of dark, dipping sauce or rub and 1 small side. For our sauce we picked hot sauce and for our side, we picked the side of the day which was a chick pea, rapini salad with carrots and jalapenos with a maple olive oil vinaigrette. We also order two of their fancy donuts...a Mojito and a Dark Chocolate Pretzel.

Let me start by saying...WOW! This chicken is excellent! Crispy on the outside, moist and absolutely delicious on the inside. This chicken is brined overnight in a delicious mixture of lemon, herbs and spices...see it here. This brining process adds amazing flavour to the chicken. The hot sauce adds a little kick if you want it. Overall, very very good chicken.

I had heard some complaints about these donuts. I can honestly say there is nothing to complain about. I basically had the "Dark Chocolate Pretzel" to myself and I found this donut unbelievably good. This was not too heavy or greasy. The flavours worked well together. I tried the "Mojito" donut and it was so amazing. It tasted just like a mojito only better...lime and mint. So refreshing. I tried our friend's "Rootbeer Float" and it tasted exactly like rootbeer...it's too bad I haven't like rootbeer since I was a kid but the flavour was undeniably authentic!

Overall, I enjoyed Paulette's and everything she had to offer! I will definitely return and recommend it to anyone who loves donuts or fried chicken!

*****

Mojito and Dark Chocolate-Pretzel Donuts

Chicken Combo with Chick Pea Rapini Salad

Rootbeer Float Donut

*****

In his opinion:
What? Donuts and chicken? Who thought of this brilliant idea? Well...I wish it was me because it is a great concept indeed, whether, you eat them separately or together, it's a great idea and seems to be doing quite well.
On a weekend where we were trying out some "out of the norm" concepts in food, this just seemed to fit in perfectly with the theme. Leslieville, Toronto...donuts and chicken combos followed by great eating at a gas station? Wow...where do I sign up? 

Paulette's Original Donuts and Chicken is a relatively new trendy spot in Leslieville and it's getting a lot of good attention lately. The inside is colourful and very alive with the theme of light blue and white throughout. The staff was very attentive and friendly and dressed to match the decor, with its preppy chic style.

We ordered the combo chicken that comes with 2 pieces of white, 2 pieces of dark meat, a dipping sauce or rub and a small side. The choices for the dipping sauce are many, tandoori BBQ sauce, maple chili or honey but we opted for hot sauce instead, because that is how we roll...well sort of!

The chicken is done quite well with tasty super crispy skin, almost like it's caramelized but not hard enough for an emergency visit to the dentist afterwards. Inside the meat is well cooked, flavourful and most importantly very moist. Our side was the chick pea rapini salad with jalapenos, carrots and maple olive vinagrette. This summery salad was delicious and light, even with the chick peas. To go along with the combo chicken, we ordered 2 donuts, the mojito and the dark chocolate pretzel. The mojito donut is amazing and I could eat one every day. The chocolate one was very good as well. I tried our friend's donut as well and it tasted just like a rootbeer float. 

Like a good chicken place, they provide lots of napkins and nice wet towels for the aftermath of handheld delicious chicken eating. They also provide "gratis" a small container with water and cups and it didn't taste like the fine Toronto tap kind, to my surprise.

The lack of counter space to go along with the lovely banquet seats they provide is certainly a point of contention for many. There is a park bench outside but absolutely not enough for the line-ups that form out the door on most days. I get it, it's mostly a take out place but still...

The Good: Great concept with tasty food and tasty donuts. Once you grasp the concept and embrace it, you will like it.
The Bad: Inconsistency in the chicken has been brought up many times, we fortunately have not witnessed it.
The Verdict: Another great addition to Leslieville's growing foodie favourites. Put aside anything you may have heard or the idea that the concept is weird and just go and try it.

I give it 3 out of 5 olives as rating



 

Old Marina Restaurant & Gift Shop

Old Marina Restaurant & Gift Shop
45 McClintock Drive
Puslinch, Ontario

519-658-0367

In her opinion:
Old Marina Restaurant has a prime location on Puslinch Lake...just ignore the trailer park next door. No, I'm not kidding! The Old Marina Restaurant has been around for years actually 1927 to be exact. It even survived a fire in May, 2005 but reopened in Summer, 2006. They rebuilt and made it even nicer.  This place is known for large portions, home style comfort food and an awesome deck with views of Puslinch Lake.

We visited on a Tuesday night before the dinner rush and were able to procure a table on the deck...for about 5 minutes. You see, the restaurant has two "G" Scale trains running along its perimeter and when you are with a 6 year old train enthusiast, the deck is really not an option. Our waitress moved us into the dining room and turned the trains on for little man.

I ordered my usual...an open face hot beef sandwich with a twice baked potato. It also comes with a cabbage salad.

The food is pure comfort. Let me remind you that this in not fine dining and the flavours are not super complex. But simply put this is meat and potatoes at its best. Beef gravy smothering thinly sliced roast beef on white bread. The potato is excellent. A very good version of a twice baked potato.

Overall, this is a nice place for a family dinner.  Little man had his usual grilled cheese with a salad (for mommy and daddy since he doesn't like sides). He was not disappointed.

In his opinion:
The Old Marina Restaurant on Puslinch Lake is a local attraction with many people enjoying it for the view, the large portions and friendly service. 
This is a home style cooking restaurant located right on the lake that offers inside and outside (lakeside) seating.

We have frequented this restaurant regularly for quite a few years and the consistency in the comfort food and its ideal location are the main reasons we continue to go back. Its re-built facade since the fire of 2006 made it larger and more modern but also kept the old charm that made it so popular with its patrons.

On this particular summer afternoon, I decided to try a couple of appetizers instead of having an entree and it worked out very well. Note to self...in the absence of tapas restaurants in the area, try multiple appetizers everywhere you go.

To start, I picked the battered mushrooms with dip which was garnished with shredded iceberg lettuce. The menu refers to the dip simply as dipping sauce as if to make you wonder what "special" dip will you get. For my surprise it was the very exotic "ranch" dressing that served as dip.

The mushrooms were very good, crispy on the outside and juicy and tender on the inside. The ranch dip serves well to compliment the the crispy batter...who knew?

Along with my mushrooms, I ordered Canada's soon to be signature dish...Poutine. Thinly cut fresh fries smothered with 2 cheese blend and drowned with the Old Marinas homemade gravy. This poutine although not executed in a traditional way, was delicious. It was a healthy portion and at no point did the gravy make the fries soggy, which is always a plus.

Other favourites that I have tried through the years and enjoyed are...the chicken quesadillas (very good), the steak on a bun (good meat) and the famous Puslinch burger, for which you will need to deslocate your jaw to be able to take a bite, given its size. 

The Good: Consistency and homemade style food. Amazing view and great service.
The Bad: Flavour is not one of their strong points. It is a meat and potatoes type of place so don't expect to be wowed with intricate tastes.
The Verdict: Good place for home style cooking and be treated to one of the best views in the region. The service is also good and produces a home away from home experience.

I give it 3 Olives out of 5 as rating